Peter Gabriel Marks the Blue Moon With New Song ‘A Hard Lesson’

May 31 marks the second full moon of the month, known as the blue moon, and with it comes another new single from Peter Gabriel’s slowly gestating project, o\i, titled “A Hard Lesson.”

Following the release of his 2023 LP, i/o, Gabriel has been methodically unveiling his latest project, o/i, with new music arriving alongside every full moon throughout 2026. This rhythmic release schedule is set to culminate in the eventual arrival of the full album.

“A Hard Lesson” holds the distinction of being the oldest composition in the upcoming project. Gabriel revealed on his website that the song was originally written in the late Eighties or early Nineties during a period he spent in Senegal.

“I was falling in love with the music I heard there. I loved the tension created by the use of polyrhythms, particularly the threes and fours, so that was the start of this song,” he explained. “It’s a quirky, strange and long track but it’s a journey. It’s about trying to find a place, your place, how you fit in. I’ve enjoyed playing with old R&B and folk references as well.”

Reflecting on why the track remained unreleased for several decades, Gabriel noted that his creative process often requires patience. “Sometimes things take time — most people do stuff a lot faster — but I have no problem with understanding my own process,” he wrote. “Some things will mature and evolve spontaneously and some will just stay hidden-away in a box until their moment in the light appears.”

In keeping with the release strategy for his previous o\i tracks, “A Hard Lesson” will be presented in two distinct mixes. The version released this Sunday is a “bright-side” mix by Mark “Spike” Stent, while a “dark-side” mix from Tchad Blake is scheduled to arrive on the next full moon.